Hybrid potato seed

Hybrid seed could revolutionize potato cultivation

Hybrid breeding

Most varieties are cultivated from seed potatoes. This means each tuber is a clone of another tuber, which makes them genetically identical. A small portion is available as seed, which is known as a true potato seed (TPS) variety. This is a genetic mixture of seeds that looks relatively uniform at the plant and tuber level. What's new is how we create true hybrids, which combines the ideal elements of both systems.

Hybridization means you create inbred strains that are used as parents in cross breeding. The seeds from this hybrid constitute the variety. The emphasis is on creating the right parent combinations and seed quality, instead of making a lot of individual clones and tuber progenies.

New approach, new opportunities

Creating parent lines for potatoes is a problem, as is the self-pollination required for producing these parent lines. Now that this has become technologically feasible, hybrid potatoes from seeds are attracting attention both within and outside our sector. Instead of using the tuber as the basis, we can now use the seed. This is an entirely new approach that offers new opportunities.